Apartment renovation
The assignment consisted of the complete renovation of a 105 m² apartment for a young couple who were moving from the countryside to the city. Located in a housing block from the 70s, the renovation became an exercise in tectonic archaeology.
The demolition process revealed a monolithic reinforced concrete structure that is supported laterally by two sandstone masonry party walls. Once the preexistence was discovered, the project tried to highlight the tectonics of the existing walls, adding 2 complementary layers that organize the program and the furniture.
The first layer consists of creating a central rectangular ring of poplar plywood that differentiates the day and night rooms and forms a “thick programmatic wall” housing cabinet, lighting, doors...
The second layer formalizes all the built-in furniture and prioritizes each room according to its assigned use. These elements are modulated and resolved using 5 x 5 cm tiles.
The materiality chosen for the new construction elements dialogues with the existing, enhancing the entire intervention.
The vegetation becomes a central element of the home, like the owners' desire to continue maintaining a certain link with their old life in the countryside.
